Observant
by NinNinKakizaki2014
Summary: Reflecting on life, one can come to terms with herself and her feelings. Hayate x Maria.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Hayate no Gotoku or any of its characters.**

What should have been a celebratory end-of-summer party turned out to be a disaster.

Hayate Ayasaki, combat butler of the Sanzenin household, was lying with his back to the ground, both hands clutching his chest. Blood was oozing from beneath his hands as he tried to force the bullet out of his body. Whoever the perpetrator was, he or she was definitely not your average crook.

With what remained of his vision, Hayate watched as the Sanzenin SP took off after the criminal. He saw himself being carried by Klaus, the family's head butler, while the bleeding ceased to stop. Many of his friends were gathered around him, all tear-streaked, concerned at seeing Hayate in such a critical condition.

"Hayate-kun, please don't die on me!" Ayumu Nishizawa was sobbing, unable to control her emotions.

"Hayate-kun, you've got to stay strong! Don't make me suffer like this!" Hinagiku Katsura, as tough a girl she is, was breaking down, tears flowing uncontrollably from her eyes.

"Hayate…Hayate…" Nagi Sanzenin, Hayate's mistress, seemed to be the most heartbroken, as she was holding on to his hand, begging for him to turn out alright.

It certainly pained Hayate seeing all his friends' sorrow. They were right, he had to stay strong, and he couldn't die on them. Hayate had endured worse over his life, and yet one single gunshot was able to bring him down to this weak, pathetic state. Hayate couldn't let his condition get the better of him. He had to keep on living, for his friends' sakes, for Ojou-sama's sake, for…

Before Hayate passed out, he was able to make out the figure of someone kneeling on the ground, right where the bullet was supposed to have hit, clearly distraught. He tried to call out to her, but fatigue had overwhelmed him, and he was soon drifting off into unconsciousness…

_Inside the Sanzenin mansion…_

With the combined efforts of the Sanzenin household's best doctors, Hayate's condition was no longer life-threatening. Having all cleared away, Klaus had ordered everyone to leave, and that no one but employed staff of the Sanzenin household may enter the room. As such, everyone left to go back to their respective homes, Nagi having retreated back to her room.

Once things had settled down, Klaus left to make preparations for Hayate's medication, leaving Maria inside the room with the latter. Before leaving, Klaus had on a rare pained expression of concern, as he understood how Maria was traumatized by the day's preceding event. With a heavy sigh, Klaus told Maria to take care of Hayate, before closing the door behind him.

Maria, the resident maid of the Sanzenin household, stood watch over Hayate, who was now asleep in bed, put under life support for the time being. She never would have thought that things would've turned out like this in a mere manner of seconds. If it wasn't for Hayate's quick reaction, that bullet just might have been made for her. Hayate had pushed Maria out of the way just right before the trigger was pulled, and later, Maria was seen with Hayate lying down beside her, the latter having taken the shot.

In all her life, Maria had not known sadness or fear. She was brought up by Mikado Sanzenin, Nagi's grandfather, ever since she was abandoned at a very young age. All throughout her life, Maria had known nothing but kindness and how to gain knowledge, getting into the prestigious Hakuo Academy at the age of 10 and excelling at every subject possible. Life was simplistic, being knowledgeable and skilled in many different aspects, and that has led her to who she is today.

However, upon meeting Hayate, life seemed to bring a different round of events. He was different, having been brought up by a poor family, working his butt off with many different jobs just to support them. He must have been the unluckiest person in the world, as mishap and misunderstandings just piled up every time he was around. It was one of these mishaps that got Hayate hired as Nagi's butler, due to the latter mistaking the former's kidnapping attempt as a confession of love. Even to this day, Maria has kept this a secret from Nagi, just to keep her happy.

Despite all these misgivings Hayate carried around with him, he was a hard worker. Even with the simple task of cleaning, Hayate would give it his all, making sure not one speck of dust was left lingering. This led to people believing that Hayate was a perfectionist, something that Maria could relate to.

Hayate was also incredibly caring, sacrificing himself in every aspect just for the sake of others. Unfortunately, being like that caused even more misunderstandings, as one by one, girls who come in contact with Hayate end up falling in love with him. Even Maria was a victim to this on several occasions.

But now, this feeling… this feeling of love… had it just gotten deeper? Maria had seen Hayate suffer from many injuries during his time as a combat butler, all of which he could just easily shrug off. Now, after such a life-threatening attack, would the luck of this unfortunate boy finally take its toll on him?

Maria checked Hayate's vitals. They were dull, but still ticking. That was good, Maria thought as she let out a heavy sigh. The Sanzenin household was fortunate to have Klaus around, though at times he would come off as irrelevant. Thanks to Klaus' quick response, Hayate was just narrowly able to escape death.

Come to think of it, why would Hayate go so far as to protect someone? He singlehandedly made it his duty to protect Nagi ever since that incident when Mikado set up that ridiculous condition allowing someone else to claim the Sanzenin inheritance. Even while not protecting Nagi, he would go ways to protect others from harm as well. Sure, he often said it was his duty to do so, but still…

Maria has seen everyone, Nagi, Hinagiku, Ayumu, Isumi, Sakuya, Athena, Ruka, Izumi; all express or try to express their feelings towards Hayate due to his actions. And yet, Hayate continues to remain oblivious to them. Maria often had teased Hayate when it came to discussing his love life, but his response had always remained the same, that he wasn't ready and that he needed to be able to support his partner financially.

It was always like this; always making girls swoon over him while Hayate himself remains unknowing of their feelings. Well, it wasn't that Hayate wasn't aware of the potential lover candidates around him, as he did get embarrassed at times when he was somehow alone with a girl in some rather embarrassing situations. Just thinking about these times made Maria feel jealous deep down inside…

Wait, jealous? Why would Maria feel jealous about all this? It was Hayate's fault that things like that just happened to occur around him! Maria pouted, frowning a little while staring at the teenage boy lying in the bed in front of her. Any normal person would've been aware of the advances the girls were making towards him and would've ended all the commotion by choosing someone already! It was simple as that, Maria thought; a perfect solution to this ever-budding problem.

But even so, Maria had only served the role of an observer, always watching as Hayate went about with his life. Looking back on it, Maria felt that there was a reason to jealous. As much as she enjoyed being Nagi's personal maid, Maria kind of wished she was attending Hakuo again, enjoying life as a regular high-schooler. Part of why she wanted to do so was because, well, she was never able to get a boyfriend because of an acute awareness of lolicon perverts.

Hayate was the only male in Maria's life, save for Klaus and Tama. Given this fact, it was quite clear that Maria didn't live a very eventful life. Sure, Hayate was only 16, while Maria herself was a fresh 17 year old. She guessed that it wouldn't work out due to her being older, but a fleeting memory came to light, one that had Hayate mentioning that he liked older women better.

Quite suddenly, Maria felt something wet fall down the side of her face. Pressing her hand against it, Maria felt shocked, if not a little surprised. Was she crying? When was the last time she had cried? Maria didn't remember. She was trained at a young age to maintain a cheerful disposition at all times. But why now? Why did the tears Maria thought to have never had all of a sudden come forth?

Maybe because that she could almost relate to Hayate in a way? Both were butler and maid, servants in a rich family household. Both were perfectionists in their own respect. Both were happy to be of service, knowledgeable in many aspects and being able to figure out what to do in certain situations.

However, that wasn't it. It wasn't the similarities they shared, but the differences that set them apart. Maria wondered if her real parents hadn't abandoned her, would her life been the same as Hayate's? She honestly couldn't even imagine what it was like to live with parents who didn't care about you, up to the point where they would even sell you off to the mafia just to settle their own huge amount of debt. The more she tried to think about it, the more it pained her to know that it was Hayate who has gone through said ordeal.

Maria was sobbing now. She didn't know how or why she was doing so, but one thing for sure, she needed something, something to stop these tears from flowing…

"Maria-san?"

"Eh?" Maria was taken surprise as Hayate, who was supposed to be unconscious, was now sitting up in bed, with his all-too-knowing expression on concern etched across his face.

Geez that Hayate, thought Maria. He just couldn't find a more appropriate time to wake up. However, Maria knew that this wasn't a time for self-righteousness. She felt the need to set aside her dignity, just this once. Instead of trying to hide herself out of shame like how she would normally, Maria forced a smile upon herself and walked over to Hayate.

"Are you okay Maria-san? You're crying."

Maria sat down at Hayate's bedside, resting her head on his shoulder. Despite having been in many scenarios which involved getting close to a girl, Hayate couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. "Eh? Maria-san?"

"Please, Hayate-kun. Just let me rest here for a bit."

Hayate didn't know what to say. To him, he was never good in situations like this. Whatever he did, whether it was to comfort the girl or to make himself sound cooler, it would've always ended up in misunderstanding.

But then, Hayate recalled why he was in this condition in the first place. Hadn't he just gotten hit by a bullet? Hayate moved his hand toward where the bullet had hit his chest. There, plain as day, was a scar left over by that bullet wound. Hayate was able to feel someone's handiwork over it, that person having stitched up the wound. It was all too familiar, due to having been injured in numerous occasions, who was responsible for his recovery. Sure, Klaus had something to do with it, but Hayate could tell…

"Thank you, Maria-san, for healing me."

"What are you saying Hayate-kun? I should be the one saying thank you! You… you… you saved my life."

"Haha, that wasn't anything all too special. Just doing my job, that's all."

However, Maria felt that it was special, maybe just in her mind. Sure, Hayate can continue to be unaware of others' feelings towards him, but Hayate just had that innate ability to make someone feel special. Maria never wanted to say it out loud, but yes, she had to admit that she was among the many girls who had fallen under Hayate's whims.

Ever since Hayate's introduction into the world of the rich, Maria has for most of the time played a more observant role, watching others interact with Hayate as they make their advances towards him. Today though, it was Maria's turn to take the spotlight. She needed Hayate's strength now, even if it were just for one night.

"That's right Maria-san, I almost forgot, I'm still thinking about what to get you for your birthday."

Hayate said that right out of the blue. After everything that happened during the year, even Maria forgot about the promise Hayate made to her about getting her a birthday gift. After all, it was Maria who told him that it was set to be on Christmas Eve. Also, she secretly hoped that it would compensate for that random gift she received from Hayate a while back (the psycho killer bunny).

"Hayate-kun, why would you think of something like that now? That's not important, not for the time being anyway…"

"Well, being here with Maria-san made me think about it for a bit, and I certainly wish to make you happy after everything that happened today."

That was just so like Hayate, putting others ahead of himself. Maybe that was what Maria found interesting about him, what she admired about him. Maria couldn't hold it in any longer. She should've realized her feelings for Hayate ever since that day, when she was the one comforting him when he realized that he was possibly not able to make it into Hakuo Academy…

"Eh, Maria-san, what…"

Maria kissed Hayate's cheek and held it there for a least a few seconds. Finally letting go, Maria brushed away a bit a Hayate's hair that was covering his face, moving her hand to feel his cheek where she just kissed him. Maria hadn't regretted it at all. She knew that eventually, Hayate would have to pick someone. Maria wished that they could maintain their working relationship, no, their friendship, for the years to come.

"Like I said Hayate-kun, it should be me saying thanks for everything you did today. Actually, more like everything you've done for us to this day. So, thank you…" Maria felt herself go red in the face, but it was only natural. Sort of like a boy meets girl scenario, right? Maria thought to herself.

At this, it Hayate's turn to feel a little sentimental. He was grateful to have someone like Maria to work with. Kind, beautiful, and caring; Maria was in every which way a perfect girl. It was just that Hayate felt that he wasn't ready for someone who was on that level. Nevertheless…

"Thank you Maria-san, for giving me the opportunity to work with you."

"Hayate-kun! I told you it was my turn to thank you today…"

And this conversation continued on into the night…


End file.
